Catch
by peanutbutter126
Summary: He had been catching her for so long, and just this time, Ino wanted to fall.


I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Catch

Ino had never been the kind of girl who bawled her eyes out when she tripped and fell. The smart thing to do, of course, was not to fall in the first place. Who in their right mind would purposefully fall over? It was a stupid thing to do.

Ironically, falling was how she had met Shikamaru Nara.

She couldn't quite remember why she had been up in that tree. Ino only remembered seeing a patch of grass and jumping for it. What could she say? She had been an adventurous five year old. How was she supposed to know a certain lazy boy took his nap there?

She wouldn't quite say Shikamaru _caught_ her, but he had broken her fall, and for some reason his groans and complaints were music to her ears. Then her father came to pick her up and she scrambled off the cushion and left, just remembering to stick her tongue out at him. It wasn't like she would see him again.

Later that day, Ino's father invited his old teammates and their families to dinner. Ino stared wide-eyed at the boy from the park.

Shikamaru smirked after introductions had been made. "Pigs don't fly," he mouthed to her across the dinner table, and Ino remembered fuming because her legs could not reach across to kick him.

She decided then and there that she did not like Pineapple Head.

Ino ignored Shikamaru during their days at the Academy. They had nothing to say. In all honesty, she had never tried to approach him. That was before they got assigned to a genin team together.

Predictably, Ino had not been pleased to be saddled with Shikamaru. From what she knew, he was lazy and was a jerk. Her genin days with him proved it. He spent most of his time sitting out or playing shogi with Asuma. Chouji told her that was just the way Shikamaru was.

However, Ino would admit that she was impressed by her teammate. Despite his lack of contribution during training, he was handy for tight situations. His strategies, although hastily compiled, were usually effective, and if they weren't he always had a Plan B. It had been Shikamaru's intellect and guidance that had gotten them through the Chunin Exams. It was Shikamaru who had made it to the Third Exam. It was Shikamaru who had been the only one promoted to chunin.

It was Shikamaru who had become the one Ino relied on the most.

Since the first attempt to retrieve Sasuke, Shikamaru had become fiercely protective of his friends. He never displayed it openly, but Ino could see his concern each time they embarked on a mission. He worried too much, Shikamaru. He was lazy and annoying at times, but he was decent, and if he said he would do something, he would do it.

There was something about having a sprained ankle, and it wasn't just the pain. It was the fear of jumping from the roof of a building that was about to explode and landing awkwardly while having the structure collapse on you. With her impeccable luck, Ino found herself in such a situation.

"Ino!" Shikamaru yelled up to her, and his face had been streaked with blood and ashes and Kami, he had looked so afraid. "Just jump! I'll catch you!"

She knew how terrified he was of losing someone. Asuma's death had suffocated him. For a split second, Ino wondered how Shikamaru would react to her death. Back in their genin days, he had always joked that it would be a relief. At least, she hoped that he had been joking.

It was funny how things happened without you noticing. Somewhere between Point A and Point B, Ino had drawn thick bonds with her team. Spending almost every day with them and risking their lives together tended to do that. Hell, they had grown up together. Ino knew Chouji's favourite food brands, knew where Shikamaru liked to watch clouds.

Their team wasn't exceptional like Sakura's team. No, they were plain and ordinary, but they were good at what they did. Their teamwork was impeccable. Ino didn't even hesitate to throw herself into a life or death situation with only Shikamaru's 'hunches' to back her up. She didn't need to worry about leaving her body vulnerable when she performed her jutsu, knowing that Shikamaru would catch her.

He just kept catching her.

There was a special understanding between Shikamaru and Chouji. The two of them were very good friends. But Ino felt that she also had something special with Shikamaru. The days following Asuma's passing, they would sit together somewhere, anywhere, and there were days when they didn't have to exchange a single word. He would smoke a little, she would watch him until the sky darkened and she fell asleep against him, and she would wake to find herself in her bed, inhaling the lingering scent of their sensei's cigarettes.

"Ino! Come on – jump!"

Ino didn't know when, she didn't know how – all she knew was that she had fallen for him.


End file.
